We're all mad here.

The Mad Hatter

Forever stuck in time! Write a story (or short poem) where your character is always stuck at 6 p.m. (<1000 words or < 31 lines)

At Six PM

It was a punishment, of course.
He knew when he ventured through Her wood,
every man who stumbles unawares
to the pool where Night bathes—
her skin like moonlight,
her hair the glittered emptiness
of a midnight sky—
must face Her justice.

If he lingers, that is blasphemy,
but if he turns away too quickly,
that's a different variety of insult.

But he was young and loved the night,
and sought her behind every tree,
until he despaired. He found her then,
a slender figure beneath a waterfall,
eyes closed, lit from within, and while
he should have closed his eyes,
walked away, left her to her midnight thoughts,
he could not. His eyes were locked open.
His feet drew nearer, until he was wet to his knees
and his hands touched Her.

Can a man touch a goddess and live? No.
She felt her eyes burn as
he melted in her fire, refined into
the essence of himself—a minute's worth
of touching at twilight.

Every hour, it's six pm. somewhere.
That's when he comes to her
sixty seconds worth of time flashing
across continents and oceans,
chasing Night, forever.

line count: 31